I Will Follow You Into the Dark
by NightmarexMockingbird
Summary: Korra is having nightmares again, and needs some reassurance. Meanwhile, someone else in Republic City is having the same troubles. How does Korra choose to cope with her worries? Makorra.


**Hey dudettes! I am obsessed with these two, seriously. I don't have anything against Asami, only when she hangs on Mako. Then, i want to smash her face in. LAWL. This is supposed to be a one-shot, but if i get the motivation i might make one more chapter ;) ENJOY!**

* * *

It was dark, and the echoes of sprinting footsteps bouncing off the stone of the grungy sewer pipes were the only remote sense of direction she had. Muck coated the slim, muscular legs that pounded against pools of muddled water, also successfully matting down her brown hair to her head. The tanned, olive skin that was usually so vibrant, was now hidden under a thick mixture of sweat and crusting blood.

She wasn't going to make it.

She had known from the beginning of her trek to the underneath of the city that she wasn't going to make it. Her brain had told her so. Her heart, on the other hand, had held a sliver of hope. Something to keep her aching body moving, ignoring the pleas it made for rest.

Her chest tugged her in the direction of another tunnel.

Maybe, just maybe, she would make it in time.

An opening came into sight, just around 40 feet in front of her. She swallowed down her rising fright, in favor of keeping her dry throat somewhat moist. She pushed her legs to the extreme, putting her last ounce of energy into them. She threw herself through the opening, coming to a stop just inside the vast room only to hunch forward and catch her breath, hands on her knees. She let out a long exhale of breath, then looked up.

A sharp intake of air hitched in her throat.

Hundreds of bodies, chi-blockers and benders alike, were strewn loosely across a makeshift battlefield of stone.

Amon had gotten what he wanted. A war between benders and non-benders. The masked man had told her, as she stood watching him ride away in his air balloon, that _now_, she was truly alone. A gnawing feeling had begun in her ribcage from those words, and she had abruptly turned on her heel and ran for the underneath of the city, where Amon had protruded from.

She limply walked through a narrow pathway made by people that were no longer of this world. Her chest tightened as loved ones' pale faces came into sight: Katara, Asami, Bei Fong, even Tahno. She let out a small, weak cry as she ripped her lingering eyes off of a face that looked a lot like Tenzin's. She couldn't bear to look again for confirmation.

She walked deeper into the room drenched in death, turmoil and panic rising in the pits of her stomach. Of all the empty faces she stared into, there were two she was trying desperately to find.

Finally, she reached the opposite end of the massive room. No sign of them. Although pained, a flush of relief washed over her stiff body.

She looked down to her right arm, which had been rendered useless by a chi-blocker an hour prior. Blood seeped from the gashes that marked the arm, rivets dropping to the ground. Her dull blue eyes followed a drop of blood fall to the cold rock beneath her, watching with intense bleakness. Her eyes traveled back up, catching sight of something.

A hand.

A hand that she once knew to be friendly, kind.

She dared not breathe as she turned the corner, taking her time to drag her drudging feet with her. When the body attached to the hand she had known ever since she arrived at Republic City was revealed, her legs buckled from underneath her.

Shakily regaining her balance, she rushed to her friend's side as fast as she could, although she knew she could not help. His wide, strong build was beaten down, his clothes ripped from every possible seam. Blood that had long stopped flowing from open wounds surrounded his body and stained the rocks beneath him. Bolin's once wavy brown hair was now dyed a deep copper, thanks to blood and rubble.

"Bolin…" Korra wailed quietly. She touched his face, where his grin had once been plastered, now replaced with a grimace.

"Please… Wake up…" she continued to cry in a feeble voice, choking on the words. Tears clouded her vision as they voluntarily dropped from her face, falling onto his non-responsive one.

She looked up for help, looking from right to left.

"Is anyone there?" Korra yelled as loud as she could, "Please! Anyone!"

She looked once more at the face of one of her best friends before standing shakily. She stepped gingerly around the body.

If Bolin was here, then…

Korra lifted her eyes and blinked through the tears. As if mocking her pain and suffering, something fluttered into her peripheral vision and made her eyes go wide. Her head turned slowly, cautiously, as if her heart had already known what the object was, or what it would lead to.

Her pupils dialated as a torn piece of red cloth danced in the non-existent wind, playing upon her fears. Drawing her eyes to look down, every grueling second making her heart beat faster, she saw attached to the scarf-

Korra shot up in bed. Sweating, hot air pulsing through her lungs, she sat shell-shocked. Korra's hair stuck to her face and neck, loose strands blowing in the wind coming from her open window. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to catch her breath. She just sat there, stunned, her gaze silently staring down the soft cotton blanket bunched on her lap.

Korra exhaled once before throwing her covers off of her. Her bare feet touched the cold wooden flooring, sending a shiver up her spine. Pushing herself up from her bed, she looked through her open window to the blue ocean, where the moon had doubled itself; an orb in the sky, the other on water.

What time is it, she wondered.

She guessed it must have been around one in the morning, considering how deep blue the sky was. She watched the calm, rippling tides wash upon the Island's soft beach. Her eyes trailed up to across the bay, when a tight pain gripped her chest as her eyes landed on the pro-bending arena. More than that, what was _above _the arena - The Brothers' apartment. Images from her dream flashed across the inside of her eyes as she grew more and more wary about going back to sleep.

Korra breathed in the fresh, crisp air, trying to diminish the tugging she felt at her heart. It didn't work.

I just have to check, she told herself, solidifying her resolve.

Tiptoeing down the Airbender's complex, she tried to make her steps as silent as possible. First, she had checked on the children. She sometimes did this, just for her own sake. This time, she had a particular reason. Then she checked in on Tenzin and Pema's room. They were fast asleep, safe and in no danger. This laid her fears somewhat to rest.

"There are still two more I have to check on," she whispered to herself as she walked down onto the beach. Korra took a long look at the boats on shore, deciding against using one; it would take too long and it would just be a hindrance. She'd get there faster her own way.

* * *

Mako had been sleeping soundly, dreaming of winning the pro-bending championship. He smirked in his sleep as his dream-self smiled triumphantly at Tahno, who looked pissed. Bolin, his little brother, was almost crying animated tears of joy while holding the trophy close to his face.

Mako chuckled at the sight, but caught his laugh in his throat as Asami threw herself into his arms. He twirled her around before setting her down. He gave her a friendly smile before he looked above her head. His breath momentarily caught in his lungs as he stared in utter terror.

Korra, who should have been celebrating along with them for their victory, was suspended in the air. Still clad in her pro-bending outfit, her helmet had been thrown aside. A hand was attached to her face, no doubt the reason she was hanging there numbly. His eyes searched for the perpetrator, and when he found him, he wasn't surprised. Amon's masked face was turned to Korra, but Mako knew for sure who it was.

He untangled his and Asami's arms as he made for Korra. He saw the hurt and confusion in Asami's eyes, but he couldn't care less. Did no one notice what was happening to the Avatar behind them?

The still cheering crowd seemed to try and swallow his body, pulling him farther away from Korra no matter how hard he struggled. He tried shouting for Bolin to help him, but it seemed the crowd swallowed his voice too. He looked back up through the mass of human bodies shoving against him at Korra, just in time to see a panicked gaze eyeing him from one able blue eye. She peered at him through Amon's fingers, pleading for him to help.

He wouldn't be able to reach her.

This realization struck him hard as a hand grasped his shoulder, causing him to turn toward the hand's owner. Asami's hard stare gave him a start, but it was when her words tumbled out of her lips that he felt his heart beat even faster.

"She is the Avatar. She can handle herself. Why should you help her?"

"I-I… She needs my help!" he scrambled out, watching Asami's face turn from stern to anger.

Her words burned him, as if she had boiled water with the heat of the sun and thrown it on him. He stopped thrashing at her next words.

"What can you do?"

He stared, almost as if turned to stone, before numbly becoming aware that what she had said was true. What _could_ he do? Korra was the Avatar, he seems to forget this a lot. If she couldn't do anything about the current situation, what could Mako hope to accomplish? His world came crumbling down as he whipped his head back to Korra, just to see her-

Mako awoke in a cold sweat, gripping his sheets tightly. He immediately recognized where he was. He stared at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts and trying to maintain his normal breathing pattern.

That nightmare had been a first. Usually he just dreamed of his parents or Bolin getting hurt. Now Korra? He shook his head.

A knocking brought him out of his thoughts. Mako sat up in his bed, glad for a distraction. Then a thought came to his head: who would be knocking at this ungodly hour? Gratitude seeped away into annoyance as he made for his door. Another knock caused him to stop. The knocking wasn't coming from the front door, but his… window?

He briskly walked back to his bed, where his window sat adjacent to. He peered through, and nearly fell back in surprise; Korra, drenched with water, was standing right outside on a window cleaner shaft.

He stared at her incredulously before sighing, suddenly exhausted. This girl just sucked the energy right out of him. Opening the window, he allowed her to climb in.

"You know, humans made stairs for a reason." He commented as he closed the window behind her. The air was frigid, but he was not affected by it. Being a firebender had its perks.

"Yea, yea. I didn't want to wake anybody up." Korra swatted her hand submissively at him.

"Does that mean I don't count as a person?" Mako replied half-heartedly sarcastic. He really didn't want to make small talk, just sleep. Although his attitude came off as annoyed, he was inwardly grateful for the relief of seeing and knowing she was okay. That dream must have really shaken him up.

She shrugged, which Mako took as a sign of her feeling the same way as him about fatigue. Silence followed. Mako grumbled as he scratched his head.

"Do you want to change? You're dripping all over my floor."

She crossed her arms as she nodded, causing droplets of water to slide further down her face. She must have swum here, he thought. He swallowed as he saw a droplet cascade down the olive skin on her neck. He walked past her, squatting down to retrieve a t-shirt and shorts from a bin.

"So," he began as he handed the clothes to her, then proceeded to turn away from her and give her privacy, "Why are you here? And don't tell me you wanted to train or something stupid like that."

Korra finished pulling the shorts on as she lingered on his question. Why _had_ she come? She didn't fully know herself. All she knew was she had an unsettled feeling in her stomach from her nightmare, and her spontaneous attitude brought her here. She sat down and folded her clothes as she remained silent.

Mako watched as Korra blatantly showed him she wasn't going to answer his question. He closed his eyes. Mako walked to his small closet and returned with blankets and an extra pillow. He kneeled beside Korra who looked at him quizzically.

"You can sleep here tonight. I don't want you to get my clothes wet swimming back." He explained lamely. She nodded before moving her clothes away so she could get onto the makeshift bed he just made. She set her clothing in the corner of the room, where his trademark scarf laid, perfectly wrapped and tucked away for the night. She turned away to amble back to where Mako was on the floor. He stopped her before she was fully on the blanket.

"Nu-uh. You're sleeping up there," he pointed her to his bed, "I'm sleeping down here."

Korra was about to protest when she decided against it. Instead, she climbed onto the bed and curled up into a ball.

"Thank you, Mako."

Mako halted from setting himself down onto the blankets, his back towards the bed. This wasn't like Korra. Normally she would fight about how she was the guest, who came unannounced, and how she should be getting the ground. He resumed lying down onto his right side.

Fifteen minutes passed in silence. Korra thought Mako had fallen asleep, and so she lifted herself up and pressed her back against the wall by the bed, her knees drawn to her chest. She knew Mako was safe, and Bolin too. If Mako was okay, then so was Bolin, since he always put his little brother before him.

She didn't have a particular reason for staying the night, but she felt she had to. Her nightmare scared her, as much as Amon in person scared her. She couldn't sleep now, the weight of responsibility hanging over her head. She was going to protect him this time, and if that meant watching over her closest companion while he sleeps, so be it.

"Korra," A quiet voice came from below her. She jolted in surprise. Had Mako been awake this whole time?

"Y-yes?"

Mako made no move to adjust his body, but his voice still reached her.

"What's wrong?" his question was laced with worry.

She breathed in and out. Pouting, she regained some of her normal demeanor. "Just a dream, that's all."

Mako thought about her answer, turning it over in his head. A dream? Maybe a nightmare… Was it like his?

He breathed through his nose. He knew of only one thing that would reduce his friend to this small, quiet girl behind him.

"Was it about Amon?"

He waited patiently for her answer. She had told him before of nightmares where her, her friend's and her family's bending was taken away, and how much it terrified her. This was probably one of those dreams.

"…Yes… and no." came her hesitant reply. He opened his golden eyes halfway, staring at the wall opposite him.

"Then what was it about?" he pried. Maybe she'd feel better if she talked about it. Or, at least, that's what he was hoping. All he got in response was the squeaking of his bed and shuffling of covers. He closed his eyes once more, thinking she had rolled over and gone to bed, closing the topic for good. Instead, he felt his covers lift up and back down, newly found warmth now in front of him.

He dared not open his eyes, knowing Korra was now in front of him. Her arms wrapped up and around his back, pulling her body closer to his. His chest was beating rapidly, feeling his face flush. This is Korra! His friend, his teammate, his companion! Although they still hadn't fully discussed how their relationship stood, how could she do something so bold? And then there's Asami to think about…

Her voice against his chest snapped him out of his racing thoughts. Finally opening his eyes, he looked down at her body. She was breathing harshly as she grumbled into his chest. His arms instinctively went to wrap around her smaller frame, his other hand brushing through her hair.

"What did you say?" he inquired. Her chest heaved once more before she slowly put the tiniest more distance between them, still not letting go.

"I said, I saw you all dead." She tried to say as calmly as she could. Her words shocked him, to say the least. That's what had brought her down to this? It made sense, he thought. He also knew what it was like losing a loved one and not being able to do anything about it, be it dream or reality.

"Tenzin…Asami…even Bei Fong… then there was-" she choked as the dream replayed the moment she was met with the body of her beloved friend, "B-Bolin… he was…"

Mako closed his eyes and let her hug him as her body was racked with dry sobs. She would not cry, she told herself, no matter how much she wanted to. So she settled with tearless, quiet cries.

He could only try and calm her by rubbing soothing circles on her back, just as he had with Bolin when he cried as a child. He obviously felt terrible with this girl losing it in his arms, but couldn't help the rock forming in his stomach thinking of how strung up she was when she saw Bolin in such a state. Jealousy was not his thing, he reminded himself, but couldn't stop his throat getting a little dry.

He had to voice out a question, to put his mind to rest.

"Korra," he began delicately, "If you were so worried about Bolin…" Korra finally looked up into his face. He could see the dark circles under her eyes, which looked just as ragged. Chaos brewed in her stormy blue orbs.

He swallowed as he finished his question, "Then, why didn't you go into check on him first? His room, it's right across… the... hall…"

His voice died in his throat as her face became slightly more calm as she thought over his question. She looked down at his chest again.

"Because…" she started. She brought her hand from his back and lightly touched his neck, trailing her fingertips around the places the scarf had once been, causing him to shudder. She remembered the dread she felt when she saw the bright colored cloth whipping around in the dust and rubble, as if calling her to look at what she had caused. She nestled her face into the crook of his neck. Her eyes squeezed shut as she gripped his shirt closest to his collarbone.

"You are… the one…" she whispered almost inaudibly, "I'm afraid to lose the most…"

Although his heart had been racing a minute ago, he could've sworn it stopped for a few seconds. The words she spoke lifted his spirits in a way he never thought possible. _He _was the source of her anguish. It sounded terrible, but he felt absolutely elated. The air got quiet as her breathing evened out.

He looked down at her face. She had fallen asleep. He smiled, a rare, Mako, smile, as he brushed some loose hair off her face.

This girl… he couldn't even _describe _how she made him feel. Annoyed, irritated, worrisome, exhausted, and overall pissed off, but… he loved every minute of it.

Asami never made him angry, nor did she ever annoy him, and their relationship was… functional. Mako realized, however, that this was not what he wanted. He didn't want to just _settle_ for a girl he could get along with. He wanted to feel emotions that Korra stirred within that he had forgotten he had.

Looking down at the girl in his arms only reinforced these thoughts. He pulled the covers up to cover their bodies before resting his head atop hers. In her sleep, she snuggled closer to his body warmth.

He had a lot to think about tomorrow, but until then he would enjoy a deep, dreamless sleep with this strange girl in his arms.

**R&R please! :D**


End file.
